Depression Myth Busters: Does Cannabis Worsen Depression?

Marijuana has had myths and legends surrounding it for a long time now. Scientists and researchers have debated for decades on whether marijuana is actually ‘good or bad’. There have been thousands of research papers and scholarly articles discussing the various aspects and effects of marijuana on human metabolism. Yet, the conclusions have always been misty.

In the last few years or so, the world of medicine and treatment has become a lot more lenient. Doctors are prescribing medicinal cannabis to patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, chronic pain and many more. In many cases, the results have been good. Now, when it comes to relieving depression, cannabis has a very ambiguous stand.

Depression and Its Cause

Depression is a state of mind which also has a diverse effect on the body. It is a state of low mood and aversion to activity. It affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior among others. People suffering from depression are low most of the time and gradually become recluses. They stop talking to their friends and family. Anxiety and paranoia takes over their brain.

Initially depression just causes sorrow and sadness and a feeling of loss and helplessness. With time, if untreated, these effects spread out and intensify. Some depression disorder patients have committed suicide or attempted it. Many tend to show antisocial behavior. So clearly both in cannabis and depression myth is a common factor.

A Cure for Sadness

Doctors and physicians have prescribed all sorts of anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications to their patients over the years. It has been seen that most of them take a very long time to bring in changes. Sometimes they don’t work and all of them have several side effects. So the question in the limelight is, is there an actual cure for depression? This question has a million answers. For some patients a course of 6 months anti-depressant medications has solved the solved. For some it persisted. Depression myth is a common aspect in today’s world. Some say, talking about the issue solves the issue. Others say if you talk with a depressed guy, you get depression as well.

Cannabis and Depression

Is cannabis suitable for treating depression? Well, as mentioned earlier, the effects are mixed. Some patients have shown tremendous improvement. Whereas there are some papers that say prolonged usage can cause and increase depression. It says cannabis makes the brain less sensitive to dopamine, which is a promoter of pain, pleasure, reward and focus.

Considering all the research and the conclusions it can be said that no matter what depression myth says about cannabis, it can be used as a last resort.